Views by Two — April 12th, 2017

Views By Two Series

“Lost in Translation: Communicating Science to Practitioners and Policymakers”

featuring

Senator Joseph Dunn &

Professor Susan Turner

Please join us for the first event in our 2016-2017 Views By Two series. Views By Two pairs a Center researcher with a prestigious practitioner to discuss hot topics in the field of psychology and law. By providing both a researcher and practitioner viewpoint, we hope to start a dialogue that will bridge the gap between scientific research and policy.

This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments, beer, and wine will be served during a reception following the event.

UPDATE: This event has been approved to offer 1 MCLE credit. Please check in at the event registration desk to pick up necessary MCLE documentation.

Date: April 12, 2017

Time: 5:30-7:00pm

Location:

University of California, Irvine Campus; Social and Behavioral Sciences Gateway building, room 1517 (#214 on campus map). For an interactive map of the parking structure and venue, click here. Parking is available in the Social Sciences Parking Structure – please note that this lot is not attended after 5pm. Instead, please use the electronic permit kiosk that is available on the ground floor. If you prefer, an attendant is available at the Student Center Parking Lot.

Abstract:

Scholars within the fields of psychology, law and criminology often conduct research with the goal of informing both national and local policies. Despite the seemingly clear applications of social science research to practice, there is often a disconnect between what researchers recommend and what information policymakers ultimately use. Professor Susan Turner will discuss her experiences presenting her research on sentencing reform and risk assessment tools to both national and state institutions, and the associated challenges. Building from Professor Turner’s experiences, Senator Joseph Dunn will provide expertise from the perspective of a politician who has witnessed academic researchers present their research to Congress and State Legislatures. Specifically, he will discuss why politicians and policymakers don’t always seem to make policy decisions based on the merits of the scientific research and will offer recommendations as to how academic researchers can more effectively influence policy.

Speaker Biographies:

Joseph Dunn – Former California State Senator

Joseph Dunn served as a member of the California State Senate from 1998-2006 for the 34th district, located in Orange County. In this position he chaired several key committees, including the Senate Investigation Committee, which looked into the 2001 California energy crisis.

In addition to his election to the state Senate, Mr. Dunn served as CEO and Executive Director of the California Medical Association, an organization with the mission to promote medicine and the well-being of patients.

He is a founding partner of The Senators (Ret.) Firm, LLP, a law firm dedicated to counseling individuals who have been injured, abused or defrauded. The Senators Firm is located in Santa Ana, California.

Senator Dunn received his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the Minnesota School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from the College of St. Thomas. He currently lectures at the UC Irvine School of Law.

Susan Turner – Professor of Criminology, Law and Society

Susan Turner is a Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at the University of California, Irvine. She also serves as Director of the Center for Evidence-Based Corrections and an appointee of the President of the University of California to the California Rehabilitation Oversight Board. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Dr. Turner led a variety of research projects while she was a Senior Behavioral Scientist at RAND, including studies on racial disparity, field experiments of private sector alternatives for serious juvenile offenders, work release, day fines and a 14-site evaluation of intensive supervision probation. Dr. Turner’s areas of expertise include the design and implementation of randomized field experiments and research collaborations with state and local justice agencies. At UCI, she has assisted the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in the development and validation of a risk assessment tool as well as evaluations of targeted parole programs, and prison population forecasting. Most recently, she is involved in several evaluations of the impact of California’s realignment on state and county justice systems. Dr. Turner also served as a member of the RAND project team that recently investigated the effectiveness of correctional academic and career technical education programs for juveniles and adults. Dr. Turner is a member of the American Society of Criminology, the American Probation and Parole Association, a Fellow of the Academy of Experimental Criminology, past Chair of the Division of Corrections and Sentencing, and current chair of the Division of Experimental Criminology, of the American Society of Criminology.